you wrote: "When you are a black man, many people (even other black men, and especially strangers) tend to react to your physical presence as if you are "a black man," whatever that happens to mean to them at the time."

These kinds of statements generate much more heat than light...

Very nicely done...your points are right-on.

As for him, I'm thinking he reminds me a lot more of Rep. William Jefferson (LA-2)...

I understand the larger point James Hannaham is making about it being wrong to expect people to conform to our preconceptions about them, but anyone wanting to get a grip on these dynamics could do worse than to study theater. All theater is political, and all politics is theatrical.

Yeah, my daughter said the same thing yesterday;that Obama's strength was his thoughtful intelligence which got reaffirmed when she actually listened to him discuss an issue.

Problem is, his kind of intelligence doesn't play that well in a 30 second soundbite world. However, his strengths are tailor-made to address and shed light on the economic crisis facing our country right now. Let's hope he does that pronto.

McCain cannot address this issue with any credibility, much less a true understanding of what is at its roots.

But I feel the Obama camp or he himself should address hate speech and talk radio and all of the horrid things that are being said about him, not to refute them. He has done that already but to ask the questions about why they so persistently and vehemently spread these lies about him, what have they to gain by demonizing not just him but all people on the left? Because they gain politically and they gain financially, and then the American public loses consistently. It's propaganda and it is so rampant that it just can't continue to be ignored.

Thank you Mr. Hannaham.

I like Obama's cool demeanor. It's indicative of a measured mind, a thoughtful approach to all things potentially catastrophic.

Like we want someone risible in that office?

Maybe part of the problem of those of us who are looking for more drama from Obama, especially more in the way of convincing (to ourselves and to an imagined audience) anger or even rage, is that anger is what we customarily associate with conviction, with passion. We don’t have much in the way of public models for participating in important, even life-altering discussions (as a presidential election is), from a position of strong consideration, thoughtfulness, and meditation. We seem to have been trained to think that only anger tells us what someone is *really* thinking or feeling. That only anger is a real display of valor or a proper prelude or accompaniment to fighting.

But haven’t we also learned that anger often masks fear and sadness? Watching Obama not display anger might be provoking our own fear and sadness which in turn produces the anger that we would prefer to feel because it’s association with power lets us imagine our own power. And thus the work of a strange kind of exchange is underway. We want him to *act* powerful and be angry because we *feel* powerless and fear that the worst is going to happen. He/we might lose. And even worse, for the lack of the *right* kind of performance, he/we might lose face or self-respect.

That’s not only too much pressure to place on a figure who is doing the work of trying to win the presidency, it’s too much of a burden for us to feel ourselves.

I find that the more work that I do for the Obama campaign, the less I need him to perform anger in order for me to feel better. I and the campaign’s army of workers (volunteer and paid) are finding catharsis in productive ways that work against our need for theater, for drama, for the performance of rage on Obama’s part.

And we don’t really know that the desire for anger that is a representation of what some of us feel or what some of us hope to see is shared across the board. When thousands of people show up to hear Obama speak in places like Grand Junction, CO, do we really think that they’re showing up to see him performing some necessary and sufficient drama of pissed-offness? Maybe they’re showing up to see whatever it is that he is conveying in whatever manner he conveys it?

(This has been my moment of zen. Yours may vary.)

I cannot believe any person wrote or said that.

Because we've been voting penises into office since we started hiring presidents in this country, maybe it's about damned time somebody started choosing somebody for her vagina.... Or did just the fact of repeating that reiterate how totally offensive and bigotted that really is.

Um, so yeah, have a great day, penis.

... isn't Barack Obama white?

Dude, it's all just talk. Get mad? They invaded a country based on a bunch of crap they made up. We have lost more than 4500 people. They have trashed the economy. They have hocked the government. They have systematically sabotaged every agency. They are ripping us off for billions and billions of dollars. You would have to be mad all the time, man. Us cool mixed bloods gotta all watch our mixed blood pressure, dog.

Cement shoes, now I'm on the move. Must I remind you? I'm only here to flip you.

McCain is Vanilla, store brand. Obama is a Banana Split with Marachino Cherries, Chopped Nuts, Chopped Pineapple, Strawberries, and Whipped Cream from Amy's Ice Cream. Plus a Chocolate Milkshake for the ride home. O.k. choose now.

The recent Wall Street failures are likely to create a few more undecideds who had maybe earlier been decided on the basis of race. Hannaham's point is good, and I have admired Obama's discipline in avoiding the Angry Black Man approach throughout the campaign.

I hope he can maintain it--he just might win a few votes.